1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to display control techniques for a cursor or other pointer marks.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, an information processing unit such as a personal computer is provided with a bit map display as a display unit, and use of a graphical user interface has been generalized which permits inputs with graphical information such as icons or the like by using a mouse or an electronic pen as a pointing device for designating a coordinate position on the bit map display.
When pointing a coordinate position such as an icon, a character input position or the like on a display screen in this type of a graphical user interface, a pointer mark is displayed in the pointing position. As pointer mark patterns, generally an arrow cursor pointing to the upper left, a vertical-bar type I beam (caret), and the like are used.
In the following embodiments, a term xe2x80x9cpatternxe2x80x9d includes a meaning of a direction of a pattern as well as the pattern itself.
In addition, there is a known apparatus which displays pointer marks having different patterns according to areas of its display screen so as to achieve a more favorable graphical user interface. Furthermore, there is disclosed an apparatus in which a pointer mark pattern (including its direction) is changed according to a designated position on a display screen so that the pointer mark can be displayed also when designating a corner of the display screen in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 6-289835.
Furthermore in recent years, these types of information processing units are used for presentation. In using this type of a presentation system, for example, in a lecture class or in a technical explanation meeting, an image signal displayed on a display screen of a personal computer is inputted into a projector such as a liquid crystal projector and then the above image is projected on a large-sized screen by this projector so as to present data or the like at a time to a large attendance. An explainer in the technical explanation meeting proceeds with an explanation while moving a pointer mark to an explained point (watch point) by using a pointing device of the personal computer.
Also in this type of a presentation system, conventionally a pattern used for an information processing unit has been appropriated without any change as a pointer mark pattern.
When the presentation system is used in a technical explanation or other meeting, lines of sight of the attendants tend to be not focused only on the projected screen, but to be frequently reciprocating between the pointer mark position on the projected screen and the explainer due to the characteristics of the technical explanation meeting. Therefore, in the presentation system, it is preferable to use a pointer mark pattern which connects the explainer with the pointing position on the projected screen in a natural form.
The conventional pointer mark pattern, however, has been determined on the assumption that a user views only the display screen of the information processing unit, but it is not assumed to be used for the presentation system, and therefore it is hard to connect the explainer with the pointing position on the projected screen in a natural form as described above.
In view of the foregoing background, the present invention has been provided. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a display of a pointer mark preferable to be applied to a presentation system.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pointer mark display controller comprising a designation means for designating an arbitrary point on a display screen, a setting means for presetting a reference point on the display screen, a generation means for generating a pointer mark having a direction from a reference point set by the setting means to a pointing point related to the designation when an arbitrary point on the display screen is designated by the designation means, and a display control means for displaying the pointer mark generated by the generation means on the display screen.